ABIES 



ABIES 



2. Nordmanniana, Spach. Fig. 2, e. Tree 100-150 ft.: 

 trunk 4-6 ft. in diam. : Ivs. flat, crowded, dark green and 

 very lustrous above, silvery white below: cones oblong- 

 cylindrical or ellipsoidal, dark orange-brown,4-6 in. long; 

 bracts as long as or slightly longer than their scales. 

 Mountains south and southeast of the Black Sea, and west- 

 ern spurs of the Caucasus. B.M. 6992. Gng. 6:51. Very 

 hardy; one of the most desirable firs in northern states. 



3. Cilfcica, Carriere. Tree 45-60 ft. : trunk 2-3 ft. in 

 diam. : Ivs. narrow, flat, dark green above, silvery white 

 below: cones stout, cylindrical, orange-brown, 5-6 in. 

 long; bracts rather shorter than their scales. At high 

 elevations on the Anti-Taurus of Asia Minor, and on the 

 Lebanon. A. G. 16:255. Gng. 4:113. Begins to grow 

 early in the spring and is often injured by late frosts ; 

 hardy and desirable in the northern states. 



4. amabilis, Forb. WHITE FIR. Tree 100-1 50 ft.: trunk 

 4-6 ft. in diam. : Ivs. crowded, dark green and very lus- 

 trous above, silvery white below, occasionally stoma- 

 tiferous on the upper surface: cones oblong, dark pur- 

 ple, 3%-6 in. long; bracts much shorter than their scales. 

 Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon, and 

 Coast Ranges from Vancouver Island to Oregon. One 

 of the handsomest of the genus, often forming groves 

 at high elevations ; in cultivation grows slowly, and is not 

 very satisfactory. 



DD. Cones usually tinder 4 in. long. 



5. Sibirica, Ledeb. (A.Plchta, Forbes). 

 Tree 60-100 ft. : trunk 2-4 ft. in diam. : Ivs. 

 crowded, dark yellow-green : cones cylin- 

 drical, slender, brownish yellow, 2%-3 in. 

 long; bracts much shorter thantheir scales. 

 Northern and eastern Russia to Kamt- 

 schatka and Mongolia,gregarious 



on the Altai Mountains. Very 

 hardy, the early growth often 

 injured by late frosts ; in cult, 

 soon becomes thin 

 and loose in habit. 



6. balsamea, Mill. 

 BALSAM FIB. Fig.2,6. 

 Tree 50-80 ft. : trunk 

 17-30 in. in diam. :lvs. 

 dark green and lus- 



trous above, pale 

 below, rounded or 

 obtusely short- 

 pointed and occa- 

 sionally emargi- 

 nate, acute or acu- 

 minate on fertile 

 branches : cones 

 oblong, cylindri- 

 cal, purple, 2%-4 

 2. Abies or Fir. in long . bracts 



a. A. grandis ; b. A. balsamea ; c. A. shorter or rarely 

 Picea; d. A. concolor; e. A. Nord- 

 manaiana, /. A. m a g niflca. 



tree. Trees sold under this name are nearly always forms 

 of A. balsamea. 



8. grandis, Lindl. (A. amabilis, Murr., not Forbes. A. 

 Gordonidna,Ca.rr.). Fig. 2, a. Tree 200-300 ft., becoming 

 4 ft. in diam. : Ivs. thin and flexible, deeply grooved, very 

 dark green above and silvery white beneath: cones cy- 

 lindrical, 2-4 in. long, rounded orretuseat the apex, the 

 broad scales somewhat squarrose and irregularly serrate 

 and furnished with a short point. Coast of northern Cali- 

 fornia to Vancouver Island and to the western slopes of 

 the Rocky Mountains of Montana. S.S. 12: 612. Gn. 38, 

 p. 291. R.H.1894, p. 274. -Occasional specimens are seen 

 in parks and choice grounds, but 



it rarely thrives in eastern states. ., 



cc. Foliage pale blue or 

 glaucous. 



9. cdncolor, 

 Lindl. &Gord. 

 (A. Lowiana, 

 A. Murr. A. 

 Parsonsiana, 

 Hort.). WHITE 

 FIB. Fig.2,d. 



Eastern North 



America from Labrador and the valley of the Athabasca 

 to Iowa and the mountains of Virginia. S. S. 12:610. 

 G.C. IIL 17: 423, 425, 431. -Wood occasionally used for 

 lumber; Canadian Balsam, or Balm of Fir, is obtained 

 from bark ; in cult, loses its beauty early. 



Var. Hudsdnia, Engelm. (A. Hudsdnica, Hort.), is a 

 dwarf form. 



7. Fraseri, Foir. SHE BALSAM. Tree 30-50 or even 70 

 ft.: trunk reaching 2% ft. in diam.: Ivs. flat, obtusely 

 short-pointed, twisted at the base so as to appear to be 

 crowded on the upper side of the branches, dark green 

 and lustrous : cones oblong-ovate or nearly oval, rounded 

 at the slightly narrower apex, 2% in. long and 1 in. thick, 

 the scales dark purple, twice as wide as long and at matu- 

 rity nearly half covered by palereflexed bracts or points. 

 Mountains of Va., Tenn., and N. C. S. S. 12: 609. Too 

 much like the balsam fir to be prized as an ornamental 



Tree 100-250 

 ft. : trunk 4-6 

 ft. in diam. : 

 Ivs. elongated, 

 stomatiferous on the upper 

 surface, on fertile branches 

 often falcate and thickened 

 and keeled above : cones ob- 

 long, gray-green, dark purple or bright 

 canary-yellow, 3-5 in. long; bracts shor- 

 ter than their scales. Western North 

 America from southern Oregon to Lower 

 California and to Utah, southern Colo- 

 rado, New Mex., Ariz, and Sonora. S.S. 

 12: 613. G.C. III. 8:748, 749. -Of all fir trees best with- 

 stands heat and drought; very hardy, grows rapidly, 

 and the most desirable of the genus in the eastern states. 



BB. Leaf pointed, especially on main shoots, 

 and usually rigid. 



10. VMtchii, Lindl. (A. nephrdlepis, Maxim.). Tree 

 80-100 ft. : trunk 3-4 ft. in diam. : branchlets slender, 

 pubescent: Ivs. crowded, dark green and lustrous above, 

 silvery white below : cones cylindrical, slender, dark 

 purple, 2-2% in. long ; bracts shorter than their scales. 

 Mt. Fuji-san, Japan ; gregarious and forming great for- 

 ests, coast of Manchuria. Very hardy in the northern 

 states, and in a young state one of the most beautiful 

 of fir trees. 



11. hom61epis,Sieb.&Zucc.(J.. brachyphylla, Maxim.). 

 Tree 80-100 ft. : trunk 6 ft. in diam : upper branches long 

 and vigorous, ultimately forming a broad round-topped 

 head : Ivs. elongated, sharp-pointed, dark green and very 

 lustrous above, silvery white below: cones cylindrical, 

 stout, dark purple, 3-3% in. long ; bracts much shorter 

 than their scales. Mountains of central Japan, singly or 

 in small groves. B.M. 7114. Very hardy, and in its young 

 state one of the most desirable of the fir trees for the 

 northern states. 



12. Cephal6nica, Loud. Tree 60-70 ft. : trunk 2-4 ft. in 

 diam. : Ivs. broad, rigid, sharp-pointed, standing out 

 from the branches at right angles: cones cylindrical, 

 slender, pointed, gray-brown, 5-6 in. long; bracts longer 

 or rarely shorter than their scales. Mt. Enos, on the Island 

 of Cephalonia. Gng. 6:49. Hardy as far N. as south- 

 ern New York. 



Var. Apdllinis, Boiss. (A. Apdllinis, Link.), with nar- 

 row and blunter leaves, is remarkable in its power to pro- 

 duce vigorous shoots from adventitious buds. Mountains 

 of Greece and Roumelia, often gregarious: more hardy 

 than the type in the- northern states. 



